1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrical junction box for distributing current supplied through a power supply to each electric component by a distribution portion.
2. Description of Related Art
Many electric components are provided in an instrument panel, an engine room, a roof and the like of an automobile. Harnesses connected to these electric components are collectively wired in an electrical junction box. As a conventional electrical junction box, there is one disclosed in a Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-open No. H7-9023 proposed by the present applicant. In this electrical junction box, a power supply into which electric power is input from a battery or the like, and a distribution portion for distributing the current output from the power supply to the various electric components are structurally integrally incorporated conventionally. For example, FIG. 1 shows one wiring board 1 incorporated in the electrical junction box. On the wiring board 1, a power supply bus bar (power supply) 2 and a distribution bus bar (distribution portion) 3 are intermingled.
In generally, a power supply of an electrical junction box has relatively high degree circuit construction including fuse and relay. Therefore, it is preferable to assemble the power supply using automation equipment. On the other hand, a distribution portion can be constructed as a general wiring construction and thus, automation equipment is not always necessary. Thus, power supplies are produced in a country or a region where electric supply is stable, and distribution portions are produced manually in a country or a region where labor costs are low, so that the automation equipment can be simplified and the producing costs can be lowered.
However, as described above, since the power supply bus bars 2 and the distribution bus bars 3 are intermingle, the power supply and the distribution portion can not easily be separated. Therefore, the electrical junction boxes must entirely be produced in a country or a region where automation equipment is available, and the producing costs are inevitably increased due to the equipment costs.
Further, when the power supply and the distribution portion are structurally integrally formed, or when only the power supply is changed due to specification changed, e.g., when a power supply constituted by a mechanical relay and a fuse is changed to a power supply using a semiconductor relay, it is necessary to change the entire electrical junction box including the distribution portion on a large scale or to produce the electrical junction box as a totally new electrical junction box. Therefore, costs including the equipment costs are increased, and it is estimated that costs of products are largely increased.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an electrical junction box in which a power supply and a distribution portion are made structurally independent so that the power supply and the distribution portion can be produced in optimal places and by optimal means, and even when the power supply is changed, this change does not affect the distribution portion so that costs of the products are not increased, and the electrical junction box can meet the specification change of the power supply and future development.
A first aspect of the present invention provides an electrical junction box comprising power supplies, and a distribution portion electrically connected to the power supply, wherein at least the power supply is modularized, the power supply and the distribution portion are structurally made independent from each other, the independent power supply and the distribution portion can be electrically connected to each other through a connecting portion.
In this case, since the power supply and the distribution portion are structurally independent from each other, the power supplies can be produced in a country or a region where automation equipment is completed, and the distribution portion can be produced manually in a country or a region where labor costs are low, and the power supplies and the distribution portion produced in the respective countries or regions are electrically connected to each other through the connecting portion to complete the electrical junction box. Therefore, since the distribution portion is produced manually, the automation equipment may only be provided with equipment necessary only for producing the power supply and as a result, the construction of the automation equipment required for producing the electrical junction box can be minimized. Even when the specification of the power supply is changed, the changed power supply can be electrically connected to the distribution portion without changing the distribution portion.
According to a second aspect of the invention, in the electrical junction box of the first aspect, the power supplies are provided with a plurality of kinds of connecting portions having the same shape, each the power supply can be electrically connected to the distribution portion.
In this case, since the plurality of kinds of connecting portions of the power supplies have the same shape, even when a different kind of power supply is to be electrically connected to the distribution portion, the power supply can be electrically connected without using a junction member, and the number of the entire parts is prevented from being increased.